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St. Clair County, Missouri severe weather history spans 412 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,207 nationally and #47 in Missouri.
412
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$28.5M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Clair County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Clair County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 152 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 377 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Clair County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.9M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in St. Clair County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 162 | 0 | $341K | 3 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 0 | $915K | 69 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 52 | 2 | $317K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $26.9M | F3 | 1962–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2025 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $18K | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
St. Clair County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-03-15 | EF3 | 2 | 8 | 70.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-05-04 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 38.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-01-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Clair County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2001 | Flash Flood | OSCEOLA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2004 | Tornado | ROSCOE | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| May 4, 1999 | Tornado | TIFFIN | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Jul 28, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F-2 tornado touched down seven miles west of Roscoe…eventually tracking through the middle of this small community. Numerous homes and building were heavily damaged or destroyed. Minutes later the tornado dissipated south of Osceola. One injury occurred from flying debris.
A NWS storm survey found that an EF-1 tornado touched down about 3 miles south of Lowry City and crosses Highway 13. The tornado tracked northeast and lifted near NE 1000 Road just east of Highway NN. The tornado severely damaged two homes and several outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado uprooted and damaged numerous trees along the path. The maximum estimated winds were up to 100 mph with a path length of about 5 miles and path width of about 200 yards.
A NWS survey indicated that an EF-1 tornado touched down in St. Clair County about two miles northwest of Gerster and continued on the ground for about eight and a half miles into western Hickory County. The tornado lifted about a mile north of Quincy. The width was estimated at about 400 yards with an estimated maximum wind speed of 90 to 100 mph. This tornado destroyed at least four barns and outbuildings. The tornado tore half the roof off another barn. Several homes received minor roof damage and numerous trees were uprooted or snapped.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,587
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 9, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Clair County, Missouri?
412 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $28.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Clair County?
Hail, with 162 recorded events — 39.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Clair County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Clair County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Clair County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Clair County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Clair County as very low risk, placing it in the 26 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Clair County, Missouri severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Ste. Genevieve County 202
- St. Charles County 816
- St. Francois County 378
- Ripley County 309
- St. Louis County 1,454
- Reynolds County 192
Cite this page
“St. Clair County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/st-clair-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.